Improvement in corn-planters



x 2 Sheevts--She-et 1. l. STARRETT 81. W. KEAL.

Corn-Planters. N0.5G,QO4. PatentedMay12,18174.

WITNESSES v w? LfVENToRi j By l 2 Sheets--Shegt 2..

'1. STARRETT & w. KEAL. Corn-Planters.

010,150,904, PatentedMay12,1874.

.Httorneys- UNITED STATEs PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES STARRETT AND VILLIAM KEAL, OF PAYSON, ILLINOIS.

IMPROVEMENT `IN CORN-PLANTERS.

Specilication forming part of Letters Patent No. 150,904, dated May l2,1874; application filed February 5, 187 l.

To all whom it may concern.-

Beit known that we, J AMEs STARRETT and ILLIAM KEAL, connectedV in thisbusiness under therm-name of STARRETT 8v KEAL, of Payson, in the countyof Adams and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Self-Dropping Corn- Planters; and we do hereby declarethat the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, thatwill enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make anduse the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and tothe letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of thisspeciication.

Figure lis a plan view of our invention. Fig. 2is a verticallongitudinal section. Figs. 3, 4, 5, and 6 are details.

This invention has relation to cornplanters, and consists in thecombination, with devices for imparting motion to the seed-slides, ofdevices for arresting the motion of axle, constructed and arranged ashereinafter described.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, A designates the frame of theimplement, mounted on the wheels B B', to the f'aces of which areattached, at suitable intervals, the ears or projections G C to mark thehills. The rims or tires of said wheels are concave on their outersurfaces, so as to mold the earth to the desired form. Scrapers D D, ofconcavo-convex form, are arranged so that they may be brought to bearagainst said rims or tires to relieve them of earth and clods. TheseScrapers are affixed to the ends of a transverse shaft, E, having anarm, El, rising within convenient reach of the driver. F designates arack, supported by the seat-braces, and designed to hold the lever orarm E1 at any point to which it may be adjusted. The axle, designated byletter G, is located about midway between the ends of the frame. Theseat is arranged behind said axle, and is supported upon the horizontalsections of the braces G each formed from a single bar of metal, ifpreferred, bent to the shape illustrated in the drawings, and secured attheir ends to the side bars of the frame. The seat H has attached to itsunder side loops or bent plates h, through which said horizontalsections of the braces G' pass, enabling said seat to be slid along toany desired position with reference 'to the axle.

I indicates the seed boxes or hoppers, communicating with theplantingtubes I, and containing the slotted seed-slides e', through thereciprocation of which the openings in the bottom of the hoppers arealternately closed, and made to coincide with the openings inY theslides. Directly above said openings, in the bottom of the hoppers, areplaced the cut-off77 blocks J, recessed on their under surfaces, asshown at J1, and provided with the concave or bent springs J2, havingturnedup lian ges, j, on their forward ends.

In the operation of the slides their seedopenings are alternately movedunder and beyond the cut-off blocks, thereby receiving and depositing aproper quantity of grain. The surplus grain is prevented from passingunder the cut-olf blocks by the tlangesj. The springs are made to yieldso as to not injure the seed by crushing the same. K represents leversfulcrumed on the frame A, at k, and pivoted at their outer ends to theforward ends of the seed-slides, and at their inner ends to plates, k1,secured to a horizontal slide, k2. Motion is given to the slide k1 bymeans of a wiper wheel or cam, k2, secured upon the axle, and a spring,7a3, working between the end of the slide and the front transverse beamof the frame.4 A lever, L, works in connection with said slide, againsta shoulder thereof, and is provided with a lip, L, which engages with abent notched bar, L2. The lever L is pivoted to the frame A, and whenraised disengages the slide and wiper-wheel, and prevents the droppingdevices from workin L3 designates another wiper wheel or cam, alsoattached to the axle close to the wiper-wheel k2,- or, if foundconvenient, both wheels may be formed from the saine piece of material.The wings of the respective wheels, it will be perceived, lie inopposite directions, those of the wheel L2 being used merely as stops inconnection with an arm, E3, which, by means of a spring, L4, isordinarily held at a distance from said wheel L2, but, when theimplement is gaining ground or working irregularly, is brought incontact with its wheel and the rotation of the axle arrested, in whichcase but one of the wheels B B turns, thel same being loose upon theaxle, while the other is fast.

M represents the marker of return rows, consisting of a shoe or runner'attached to the end` of a curved arm, M1, which is connected loosely bymeans of a ferrule or thimble, M3, to the extremity of a bar, M4, hingedto the rear end of the frame, midWa5T between the sides. By means ofsaid bar M4 the mark er is adj usted from side to side, at the end ofeaoh row, the shoe or runner adapting1 itself to the change. l rlheportion of the bar M4 Which lies on the frame is rigidly held and bracedby cleats m. N is a skeleton rest for the drivers feet.

Having described our invention, we claiml. The lever E3 and spring L,for arresting December, 1873.

JAMES STARRETT. Vitnesses: VILLIAM KEAL.

L. M. Don'r,

J. l?. ELLIOTT.

